Thoughts on public health and communication in the Caribbean

In search of…apps for health

Can someone please create an app that shows HIV testing sites across the region. I am very serious. I started thinking about this around the time of this year’s Caribbean Regional HIV/AIDS Testing Day. (As an aside, I think we should include, and advertise, other STD testing as well.) The Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership and their LiveUp campaign did an excellent job of publicizing the dates and locations for testing. I saw notices pop up in my timeline and on my twitter feed. I knew which websites to go to for locations, and kept up-to-date on changing venues. We even wrote about it on this site. Despite this, I kept wishing that I could just pick up my cell phone and have it tell me where I can go get tested. And, I was wishing for this for the many young people who, for whatever reason, may not have been aware that such an event existed. This app will be about testing 360; making testing routine. The Caribbean has a very high mobile penetration rate. And, we are aware that young people are spending more and more of their ‘online’ time via hand-held devices. So, shouldn’t we be putting preventive health services in the places and spaces where they most ‘congregate’? Do you know if someone is working on such an app? Maybe an interactive website? Let us know.